04 February 2015

Maid in Lebanon

Middle East Eye

In the republic of Lebanon life in general is cheap, but there are, of course, gradations of cheapness.
For politicians and other regular high-profile assassination targets, the cheapness of their lives is a reflection of the disproportionate value with which they are endowed.
For residents of South Lebanon and related areas, it has to do with their existence within Israeli crosshairs and atop unexploded Israeli ordnance.
For the fatal victims of petty disagreements, it’s often a combined result of the country’s inundation with small arms and widespread impunity on the basis of social and political connections.
And for migrant workers employed in the domestic service sector, sub-human status and the inherent lack of value attributed to their lives is, in the end, what renders them valuable.
For a minimal investment, Lebanese employers are able to extract labour from their domestic help as they might extract it from a vacuum cleaner, blender, or other household appliance. READ MORE AT MIDDLE EAST EYE.